Oliver Mowat

His Honour the Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat, GCMG, PC, QC
The Hon. Sir Oliver Mowat
3rd Premier of Ontario
In office October 25, 1872 – July 21, 1896
Preceded by	Edward Blake
Succeeded by	Arthur Hardy
Personal details
Born	July 22, 1820(1820-07-22) Kingston, Upper Canada
Died	April 19, 1903(1903-04-19) (aged 82) Toronto, Ontario
Political party	Ontario Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Jane Ewart
Religion	Presbyterian
Signature

Sir Oliver Mowat, GCMG PC QC (July 22, 1820 – 19 April 1903) was a Canadian politician, and the third Premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896, making him the longest serving premier of that province and the 3rd longest in all of Canadian history. He is one of the Fathers of Confederation.

Mowat was born in Kingston, Ontario to John Mowat and Helen Levack.

Career

Before entering politics, Mowat trained as a lawyer, and, on January 27, 1836, Mowat, not yet sixteen years old, articled in the law office of John A. Macdonald. He was called to the bar November 5, 1841. In 1846, he married Jane Ewart, a daughter of John Ewart of Toronto. In 1856 Mowat was appointed Queen's Counsel.

He first entered politics as an alderman of the City of Toronto in 1857. From there, he became a member of the Legislative Assembly for South Ontario.

As a youth, he had taken up arms with the royalists during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, which suggested a conservative inclination in politics. However, he did not trust the politics of Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier, or the other leaders of the Conservative Party and instead joined the Reformers. As a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1858 to 1864, he was closely associated with George Brown and served as Provincial Secretary (1858) and Postmaster-General (1863–1864) in pre-Confederation government (the John Sandfield Macdonald administration) and was also an avid supporter of "representation by population". With Brown, he helped create what became the Ontario Liberal Party as well as the Liberal Party of Canada.

Mowat was a member of the Great Coalition government of 1864 and was a representative at that year's Quebec Conference, where he helped work out the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments. Also in 1864, he was appointed to the judiciary as vice-chancellor of Ontario, a position he held until he was appointed premier on October 31, 1872.

Walter Seymour Allward's statue of Oliver Mowat on the lawn of Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario Canada

As premier in the 1880s a series of disputes with the Dominion arose over Provincial boundaries, jurisdiction over liquor licenses, timber, mineral rights and other matters. These court battles were won by Mowat, resulting in a weakening of the power of the federal government in provincial matters. Mowat's battles with the federal government greatly decentralized Canada, giving the provinces far more power than Macdonald had intended. He also served as his own Attorney-General concurrently with his service as Premier, and introduced reforms such as the secret ballot in elections and the extension of suffrage beyond property owners. He also introduced laws regulating liquor and created the municipal level of government. His policies, particularly regarding liquor regulation and separate schools, routinely drew criticism from political conservatives, including the Orange Lodge and its associated newspaper, The Sentinel.

His government was moderate and attempted to cut across divisions in the province between Roman Catholics and Protestants as well as between country and city. He also oversaw the expansion of Ontario's boundaries and natural resources northward as well as the emergence of the province into the economic powerhouse of Canada.^{[citation needed]}

In 1896 the leader of the opposition, Wilfrid Laurier, convinced Mowat to enter federal politics. It was thought that the combination of a French Canadian (Laurier) and the prestige of Sir Oliver Mowat in Ontario would be a winning ticket for the Liberal party. The slogan was "Laurier, Mowat and Victory". Victory was won, and on July 13, 1896, Mowat became Minister of Justice and a few days later a Senator.^{[citation needed]}

In 1897 he was appointed the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and served until his death in office in 1903, aged 82.

Family

Mowat was the great great uncle of Canadian author Farley Mowat. Mowat was himself the author of two small books in the field of Christian apologetics: Christianity and Some of its Evidences (1890), and Christianity and Its Influences (1898).

Honours

Mowat was knighted in 1892, and is also honoured with a high school named after him in Toronto. He is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

The song Our Premier with words by George F. Cameron and music by Oscar Telgmann was written in Kingston, Ontario circa 1885.

Sources

• Evans, A. Margaret. Sir Oliver Mowat. Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8020-3392-X.
• Middletown, Jesse Edgar, The Municipality of Toronto - A History, Dominion Publishing, 1923.
• Mowat, Oliver. Christianity and Some of Its Evidences: An Address. Toronto: Williamson & Co, 1890.
• Mowat, Oliver. Christianity and Its Influences. Toronto: Hunter Rose, 1898.
• Vaudry, R. W. "Oliver Mowat," in Dictionary of Christianity in America, edited by Daniel G. Reid, Robert D. Linder, Bruce L. Shelley & Harry S. Stout. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8308-1776-X

External links

• "Oliver Mowat". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2005. 
• Oliver Mowat - Parliament of Canada biography
• Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History

• Oliver Mowat a contemporary encyclopedia article
• Sir Oliver Mowat Canadian Encyclopedia entry
• Ontario Plaques - The Macdonald-Mowat House 1872
• The Mowat Family

Professional and academic associations
Preceded by William Henry Draper	President of the Royal Canadian Institute	Succeeded by Henry Holmes Croft

Party political offices
Preceded by Edward Blake	Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party 1872–1896	Succeeded by Arthur Hardy
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Preceded by None	Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario) for Oxford North 1867–1896	Succeeded by Andrew Pattullo
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by John Ferguson	Senator for Ontario 1896–1897	Succeeded by William Kerr
Political offices
Preceded by Edward Blake	Premier of Ontario 1872–1896	Succeeded by Arthur Hardy
Preceded by Adam Crooks	Attorney General of Ontario 1872–1896
Preceded by Mackenzie Bowell	Leader of the Government in the Senate of Canada 1896–1897	Succeeded by David Mills
Preceded by Arthur Rupert Dickey	Minister of Justice 1896–1897
Preceded by Casimir Gzowski	Lieutenant Governor of Ontario 1897–1903	Succeeded by William Mortimer Clark